He pushed her down to the bed and gazed down at her, breathing heavily. He watched her chest rise and fall, watched her stiff nipples poking through the fabric of her shirt. Slowly, he undid the first few buttons, letting it fall open to reveal a wealth of pale, smooth flesh. He stared at her bare breasts a moment, then his gaze moved upward, locking with hers. He saw fear and hunger, excitement and uncertainty, all mingling together in those large, expressive eyes. He lay a hand over the place where her thighs met, and felt the heat of her pussy against his palm, even through the jeans. He pushed his hand against her, and she moaned. “Do you want this?” he whispered hoarsely.
Her lashes fluttered. “I--I don’t know.”
“Yes or no.”
She drew in a breath and closed her eyes. “No.” She swallowed. “I’m not ready for this. Not now.”
He was still for a moment, his hand still resting on that hot flesh between her legs. Then, slowly, he pulled back. It took a great deal of willpower. He closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths, willing his erection to fade. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that.” He opened his eyes and wiped sweat from his brow with one sleeve. “I think I need to go for a walk,” he said, and quickly left the room.
Chapter Three
Maggie lay in bed, her body still aching pleasurably from his touch.
She had wanted so much to feel those strong, warm hands kneading her breasts, touching her most intimate place. She pressed her thighs together, a quiver running through her.
She couldn’t deny it--just his closeness had overwhelmed her with need.
She rolled onto her side, curling up, trying not to think about the way his catlike eyes had burned into hers.
Was it because of the lycanthropy? Had becoming part cat somehow brought out her animal instincts, made them stronger, more difficult to control? If it was like this now, what would it feel like when she actually changed?
At least she had a month to prepare. But a month had never seemed like such a short time.
* * * *
Justin returned to the cabin about fifteen minutes later, his head a little clearer. He entered the room to see Maggie sitting on the edge of the bed, staring into space. He cleared his throat softly, and she looked up. “Oh ... Justin. Hello.”
“Hey,” he said, hands in his pockets, eyes averted. “I guess we ought to get going soon.”
“Huh?”
“Well, you’ll want to contact your sister and your friend,” he said, “to let them know you’re all right. I can take you to the nearest phone. Since you’re not injured anymore, there’s no reason you can’t come with me.”
“Oh,” she said. “Oh, right. Thank you.” She stood.
“It’s a little chilly,” he said. “Do you want to borrow a jacket?”
“Sure.”
He fetched a heavy wool jacket from the closet and helped her into it. Her smell--warm and female, spiced with a hint of desire--tickled his nostrils, and an image flashed through his mind of her naked body stretched out on the bed, thighs spread, breasts heaving. He shoved the image aside. “We should get going if we want to reach town before nightfall,” he said. “It’s a long walk.”
Maggie nodded and stood. They left the cabin together, walking side by side, but being careful not to allow their bodies to touch. Even so, Justin felt the heat of her body next to his.
* * * *
Maggie expected her feet to start aching after an hour or so of walking, but oddly enough--though the walk was long, and Justin kept up a brisk pace--she didn’t tire. She wondered if the extra endurance, too, was a symptom of lycanthropy. The thought gave her a flash of mental vertigo, a sense that her reality was falling apart, turning upside down. She forced herself not to think about it. Right now, that seemed to be the only way she could stop herself from panicking.
By evening, they had reached the edge of West Ridge, the closest town. They stopped outside a small convenience store, where two payphones stood side by side.
Justin waited, hands in his pockets, as she dropped a few coins into the slot and dialed Stacy’s cell-phone number. She waited as it rang. There was a click, then Stacy’s voice answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Stace?” she said. “It’s Maggie.”
“Maggie! Where have you been?”
She blinked, surprised at her sister’s tone. She had expected Stacy to sound relieved. Instead, her voice was sharp and disapproving. “I got lost,” said Maggie.
“I told you not to lag too far behind. Do you know how long we were looking for you?” She heaved a long-suffering sigh. “All right, where are you? We’ll come pick you up.”
Maggie’s jaw tightened. “So that’s it?” she said. “No, ‘are you okay’ or anything?”
“Well, why wouldn’t you be?”
“I was attacked by a cougar,” she said.
“What? Is that some sort of joke? There aren’t any cougars in this area.”
She paused, then sighed. “Yeah, it’s a joke.”
“So where are you?”
“You know what? Don’t bother,” she said. “I’ll find my own way home.”
“What?”
“I don’t really feel like seeing either of you right now. Goodbye.” She hung up and took a deep breath. She realized she was shaking with anger.
She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “Maggie? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, I just did something stupid,” she said. “I’m being childish, I know. I should have just let them pick me up. But I don’t feel like depending on Brian or Stacy for anything right now. I’m sick of the way they treat me. They invite me along on these trips, but then they always act as if I’m some annoying little kid, tagging along with them and getting in their way. I don’t think I ever grew up in Stacy’s eyes. She had to take care of me after we lost Mom and Dad. I was a burden to her then, and I still am. She would have been happier if I never existed.” She closed her eyes and rubbed the eyelids with her fingertips. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear all this.”
“It’s all right,” he said. His hand remained on her shoulder, a gentle, steady pressure.
She took a deep breath, then looked up and forced a smile. “Well, thanks for everything. I guess I can find my own way from here.”
He frowned. “How are you going to get home?”
“I don’t know. I’ll take a bus, I guess.”
“It’s a long walk to the bus stop. And it’s getting late.”
“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me. I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re not. But I can’t help worrying a little. Do you even have any money with you right now?”
Maggie paused. She still had her wallet in her jean-pocket--she hadn’t wanted to carry a purse with her on a hiking trip--but she really couldn’t remember how much cash she had.
“If you really want to leave town tonight, at least let me walk you to the bus stop,” he said. “And lend you some cash if you need it.”
“I couldn’t....”
He took her hand in both of his. “I can’t let you just run off.” He smiled, showing just a hint of those white, slightly too sharp teeth. His pale yellow-green eyes reflected the moon.
A shiver traced its way up Maggie’s spine. In the daylight it was easier to ignore his strangeness, but in the fading daylight, his feline qualities seemed to stand out more, a reminder that beneath the surface lurked something feral.
She shouldn’t find that as exciting as she did.
“Your sister knows you’re safe,” he said. “There’s no rush, is there? If you like, you can spend the night.”
Her eyes widened. “With you? In your cabin? I don’t know. It seems ... well, I don’t want to intrude or anything.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“I’ve only just met you.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “But I guess if you’d been planning to tie me up and stash me beneath the floorboards you could have done it by now, right?” S
he smiled slightly. “I still don’t know what to think of you, but I don’t think you’re a psycho.”
He waited, looking at her. It wasn’t a human look. Those were the steady, watchful eyes of a cat. Yet somehow, she didn’t feel he was a threat ... not to her, anyway. He was still a mystery to her, but there was something between them, a connection. Or maybe she was imagining that. Could she trust him?
She found that she wanted to. More than that, she needed to.
“Okay,” she said.
* * * *
It was very late, so they rented a car to drive back to the cabin. The headlights cut twin yellow paths through the darkness.
Maggie was glad they hadn’t walked back, not only because it was such a long way, but because the woods were always so spooky at night, so dark and full of strange sounds. She leaned back in her seat, covering a yawn with one hand.
“Tired?” Justin asked.
“It’s been a long day.” She gazed out the window. It occurred to her that, though it was well-past sunset, she could still see everything outside fairly clearly. Her brow furrowed in confusion. There was no source of light except for the car’s headlights. Even the moon was obscured by clouds. The woods should have been pitch black. But she could see the leaves on the trees, the patterns of the bark, the small, quick shape of a rabbit darting into the shadows, the reflected shine of the headlights on its eyes. She had an absurd, yet powerful urge to leap out of the car and run after it.
She looked away from the eerily clear night forest, staring down at her hands.
“You sure you’re okay?” Justin asked.
“I feel so odd,” she said. “Not bad, really. Just odd. Like I’m seeing and hearing everything in a new way.”
“Do you believe, now?”
“I think I’m starting to. I thought I’d believed before, when I saw your face change, but I don’t know if I really believed it, not deep inside. Some part of me was still convinced I’d hallucinated it, or dreamed it, or something.”
“And now?”
“Now ... I don’t know. I feel like I’m just waking up, really waking up, for the first time.” She took a deep breath. “God, this is all so crazy.” She brushed a lock of hair from her face. “How many of us are there?” she asked.
“Lycanthropes, you mean?”
She nodded.
“Impossible to say. Not many.”
“But you must know at least a few others.”
He nodded. “I know of at least three other were-cougars who use this forest as their hunting ground--two males, one female. Cougars are territorial, especially the males, so I don’t have a lot of direct contact with the others, but I can feel their presence.”
Her brow furrowed. “How?”
“Hard to explain. I just feel them out there, somehow. I usually know when one of them is nearby, even if I can’t see or smell him.”
They were silent for the rest of the drive. At last, the car pulled up in front of the cabin, and Justin switched off the headlights and turned the key. The car’s engine rumbled softly, then quieted. “Ready?”
She nodded.
They got out of the car and entered the cabin. Justin lit a small kerosene lamp. Maggie wouldn’t have thought it would be enough light to see by, but she saw everything as if it were broad daylight. “Let me get a fire started,” said Justin, moving over to the fireplace. “It’s a little chilly tonight. You can rest, if you like.”
“If I’m in the bed, where will you sleep?”
“I have a spare cot,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
She walked into the bedroom and stretched out on the soft bed.
She heard Justin moving in the other room, his footsteps, the thunk as he dropped another log into the fireplace, followed by the soft, spitting crackle of flames as the fire got going. Then his large, broad-shouldered form appeared in the doorway. He rested a hand on the doorframe. His features were lost in shadow, all but his eyes, which shone in the darkness like polished stones. “Do you want anything?” he asked.
Yes. You. The thought leapt through Maggie’s mind before she could stop it, and her cheeks flushed hotly, though she knew she had no reason to be self-conscious. It wasn’t like he could hear her thoughts. “Um, no thank you,” she said. “I’m fine.” “All right,” he said. “There’s a pump outside, if you get thirsty.”
“A pump?”
He laughed. “Primitive, I know. But the water is fine, I promise. Are you sure there’s nothing else you need?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good night, then.” The door creaked softly shut.
Maggie rolled onto her side, facing the wall. Her heartbeat had quickened slightly. She felt a slight disappointment, mixed with relief ... but what had she expected? For him to come in, tear her clothes off, and fuck her like an animal? Just when had her imagination started to resemble an X-rated movie? Anyway, Justin was a civilized man. He wouldn’t take advantage of her like that. It bothered Maggie that a part of her wanted him to.
She closed her eyes and tried to shut off the thoughts. She needed some sleep. She would have to leave the cabin tomorrow, to go back to her apartment, her job. The thought of going back home was surreal. After what had happened to her, she almost didn’t feel she belonged in that world anymore.
Would her secret stop her from getting too close to other people, lest they find out? Would she be an outcast? The questions circled around and around in her mind, keeping her awake.
When sleep finally came, it was filled with dreams of a sleek, powerful feline form running through the night, shining yellow-green eyes, the hot, salty taste of blood, and the crunch of bones between long, sharp teeth. She woke with a gasp, trembling ... not with fear, but with the excitement of the hunt, the thrill of running on powerful limbs. A chill ran down her spine, and she looked out the window, at the moon, half-obscured by thin, gauzy clouds. It stared down at her like a yellow eye.
Chapter Four
She woke the next morning, her mouth dry. She opened her eyes to the sight of a tin cup of water sitting on a chair beside the bed. There was a fresh set of clothes for her, as well, draped over the chair’s arm. She drank the water, dressed, and walked out of the bedroom, the floorboards creaking softly beneath her feet.
Justin was crouched in front of the fireplace, already dressed, rolling over a log with a poker. Flames leapt playfully around and above the charred wood. He looked up. “Sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you,” she said.
“There’s some hash-browns in the kitchen, if you’re hungry. It’s already cooked.”
“I am hungry. Will you join me?”
“No thanks. I already ate. I usually prefer a more high-protein breakfast, anyway.”
She thought about her dream, about the cougar running through the forest after something small and fast. Could it be? Had Justin hunted in cat-form, and had she somehow shared the experience? It was a strange notion, but nothing seemed beyond the realm of possibility, now.
She headed into the kitchen, served herself a plate of the warm hash-browns and sat down at the small, oak table. The hash tasted fine, and there was plenty of it, but it left her feeling oddly unfulfilled. She found herself longing for a side of bacon or sausages ... or maybe even a steak. A rare steak, nice and bloody. Odd. Maggie had never much cared for red meat.
She stared down at the empty plate a moment, then looked up to see Justin standing in the doorway. “There’s some jerky in the cupboard,” he said with a small, knowing smile. “But I’m sure you’d rather have something fresher. If you like, I could go hunting again.”
Her arms prickled with goose-bumps. “No, that’s okay.”
He frowned slightly. “What’s wrong? You’re uneasy.”
“How do you read my emotions so easily? Do you have ESP, or something?”
He raised one eyebrow.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Don�
��t look at me like that,” she said.
“Like what?”
“Like I’m talking crazy. My view of reality has just been turned inside out. I’m not going to assume anything. I mean, how am I supposed to know what you can or can’t do? I’ve never known a were-cougar, or a ‘were’ anything, for that matter.”
He chuckled. “Okay, okay. But no, to answer your question, I’m not telepathic. I just sense and feel things that other people don’t.”
“That sounds like ESP to me.”
He shrugged. “Depends on your definition. I can’t read thoughts, but it’s true that I sometimes know things without really understanding how I know them. You could call it animal instinct.”
“I guess,” said Maggie. Now that she thought about it, it didn’t seem so farfetched. Animals could sense things that people couldn’t. She remembered the old family dog, and how he’d always grown restless when a storm was coming, long before there was any sign of it in the sky. She’d always assumed he was able to smell it in the air somehow, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe animals had some form of ESP. But Justin was no ordinary animal. Perhaps, in him, those natural abilities were just a lot stronger.
“Stop trying so hard to reason it out,” he said, sounding amused. “You’ll just frustrate yourself. I don’t think my condition is something that science can explain.”
“You did it again,” Maggie said.
“Did what?”
“Guessed what I was thinking. Are you sure you aren’t reading my mind?”
“I’m sure,” he said, grinning. “I think I’d know if I’d suddenly developed an ability like that. Since the change, I’ve just gotten very good at reading people’s body language, and their scent.”
“Scent?”
“Yeah. A person’s scent changes based on how she’s feeling. If you’re excited or scared, I can smell adrenaline and sweat. And I hear your heartbeat quicken.”
“And what about when someone is aroused?” The question slipped from her mouth before she could stop it. “Can you smell that?”
Transformation Page 3
